The ORIGINAL and BEST
BALKAN BRASS BAND from LONDON!
The BALKANATICS play wild, rhythmically driving music from the
Balkan region.
Born out of London’s cosmopolitan music scene it combines
the best UK musicians with top Balkan expatriates.
This is the BEST UK BALKAN PARTY BAND!
‘kick-ass Balkan brass band…their sound is robust, high energy’ – f-ROOTS
We’ve played 100s of gigs….here’s a small selection….
PARALYMPICS 2012 (that was fun!)
BALKANATICS with BISSEROV SISTERS Music Port Main Stage 2009
Lakes Alive 2009 Carlisle 2009
Winchester Guildhall Hampshire 2008
Beijing Olympic Torch Relay Trafalgar Square, London 2008
UEFA cup final Manchester 2008
City of London Festival 2008
supporting Boban Marcovic and Ferus mustafov, QEH foyer London 2007
The Anvil Theatre Basingstoke 2006
Y Theatre, Leicester YMCA 2006
On The Edge Festival Richmond 2006
Royal Academy of Arts London 2005
Keep on Drumming Festival Manchester 2005
Ealing jazz festival London (headline billing) 2005
WHITBY MUSICPORT (supporting Mostar Sevdah Reunion) 2005
Riverside Festival Nottingham 2004
The Musicians…
IAN EAST – saxophone/clarinet/zurna (traditional oboe)
Founding member and musical director of Balkanatics Ian East is a professional musican that works in multiple musical genres and bands. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, he has performed with rock legends Gong, Dame Evelyn Glennie, the Steve Hillage Band, Reem Kelani (Arabic), Abdelkader Saadoun (north African/Mediterranean), Rosco Levee (blues/country/southern rock) and various other jazz, world and improvised music settings such as Inspiral Trio (with Gong’s Dave Sturt and Kavus Torabi).
“Ian East is here to put wings to your heart and offer a fresh new contextual relationship with your thinking box.” Daevid Allen, founder of Gong and Soft Machine.
“East on tenor is fluent and passionate” Tony Hall, Jazz Express.
”the brilliant Ian East’s sax playing and flute work added a whole other dimension to the music” Andy Snipper, www.music-news.com
SHANTI JAYASINHA – trumpet
Shanti Jayasinha has worked in all types of musical situations at the highest level. He has worked in Reggae, Soca, Congolese, Jazz, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian bands, also as MD, arranger and composer. He met legendary Cuban pianist Frank Emilio Flyn in Havana and worked with him in Cuba and in European Festivals, as well as playing with Ruben Gonzalez and Cachaito from the Buena Vista Club and with Chocolate Armenteros in New York. On the London scene he has worked with Jyotsna Srikanth, John Mayer’s Indo-Jazz Fusions, Mike Westbrook Jazz Orchestra, Gregori Schechter’s Klezmer Festival Band, Kuljit Bhamra, Gilad Atzmon and Courtney Pine. On the folk scene he has recorded on Karen Tweed’s ‘May Monday’ with Finnish and Swedish folk musicians, and worked with a variety of Irish and Scottish folk musicians including at Salsa Celti
TOBY NOWELL – trumpet
Toby Nowell began as an art student before switching to music in the early 90s. His eclectic style spans jazz, balkan and afro-beat. He began playing Balkan music in the late 90s, and ran the Runaway Wedding Band for over fifteen years, featuring Tony Woods on sax. He has worked with Susi Evans and Matt Bacon in Bucimis and Shekoyokh. Toby has also worked in theatre as a MD, and played in the prog-rock bands Blue Soup and Psychoyogi. He can regularly be seen with Bukky Leo’s Black Egypt at the Jazz Café in Camden, and at festivals nationwide. He is also well known for his archive of thousands of solo transcriptions (yet to be published!).
CHRIS BATCHELOR – trumpet
Started playing as a professional musician in 1979 with Django Bates & then with Dudu Pukwana. Founder & composer of Loose Tubes 1983-90. Also during this time played with Taxi Pata Pata, 3 Mustaphas three & co-led Orkestra Rafiki. More recently has played & recorded with Alex Maguire’s Big Stick, Martin Speake’s Fever Pitch & Django Bates’ Delightful Precipice & his own group with Steve Buckley. First CD released 1995, followed by ‘Life as We Know it’, with Steve Buckley (Babel, 1999). In 2000 he toured in the UK with Hermeto Pascoal & with the ‘Life As We Know It’ band at Canadian festivals. In 2001 he toured in the UK with his own band Big Air (including New Yorkers Jim Black & Myra Melford). With this group he won ‘Best New Work’ in the BBC Jazz Awards. He also toured the UK with Michael Brecker in spring 2001.
IGOR GUDZALOV – trumpet/voice
From Strumica in Macedonia, Igor gained his Trumpet Masters Degree at Skopje’s main music university ‘Cyril and Mepodiy’ and then went on to play with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra for five years.
He has also worked with master clarinetist Stojan Dimov and with Alea, a group specialising in modern 20th Century Macedonian music. He also worked on the Brass band and jazz circuits as a trumpeter, pianist and singer before moving to London.
PETRO DEWSHI – accordion
Played with Polish folk dancer groups Orlenta, Karolinka in late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1989-1993 he played with various musicians in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia & Poland and in London from 1995/6 onwards played in many Balkan music groups including Yash BAsh with David Bitelli which specialises in music from the southern Balkans, Mukka, Marama Caffe BAnd, Ultraswing and Marcel Mamaliga. In 1999-2001 played with improvising musicians from the Bassesferre collective in Bologna, Italy. Recorded with Gilad Atzmon Oriental House Ensemble ‘Exile’ 2002 and with Mukka ‘life,Life’ 2003 and Bucharest string ensemble ‘Radio London’ 2003. Divides most of his time between Italy and UK. Having played amongst numerous musicians from Romania, Serbia, Italy, France and the UK his accordion playing therefore reflects the influences of these contries. Much in demand in restaurants and private clubs as a soloist or in duos as he carries a huge repertoire. Has also been working for Jazz Umbrella since 1995 and is involved in music education.
DAVE POWELL – tuba
A graduate of London University and the Royal Academy of Music, Dave was trained as a classical musician, but has always had an interest in other kinds of music. He has performed with numerous symphony, opera and ballet orchestras in Britain and abroad and also specialises in contemporary music as a member of the London Sinfonietta. He was a founder-member of Loose Tubes and has played with the bands of Mike Westbrook, John Dankworth, Billy Cobham, Barry Guy, Pete Hurt, Martin Speake etc. Dave has run many education and community projects involving drama, improvisation and composition. He has his own 8-piece jazz/world music band “Kermesse” which has recorded a CD. His compositions include songs for children, a piece for 16 trombones, sacred choral music, electronic dance music, and a piece for solo tuba and brass band.
RASTKO – davul (tapan)
Rastko Rasic was born in Belgrade, Serbia and as a boy first played the trumpet and later classical percussion. As he was growing up the range of music played in the family home was great: everything from classical and jazz to rock and punk to traditional Armenian and Serbian song. Perhaps it is no surprise then that when he started playing drums and percussion he did not confine himself to one particular style. In 1993 he won a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, U.S.A. and it was during his stay there that he started collaborating with such diverse artists as Vardan Ovsepian, afro-pop group Lovewhip, the avant-garde Balvanyos Ensemble, the Ethiopian reggae band Mebreq and the Romanian pan-flute virtuoso Damian. He has been living in London since 2000 performing with various jazz groups and working on pop and world music projects including the pan-Balkan Mukka and currently, the hotly tipped Polly Paulusma.
VASILIS SARIKIS – percussion
Vasilis Sarikis (a.k.a. Anatomo) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and creative music producer based in London.
His influences, skills and experience are wide and diverse, from electro-acoustic experiments with feedback and noise to modern programming/ sampling and from world music to jazz, rock and metal.
He has toured in more than 35 countries and has recorded in some of the best studios for commercial releases, TV and film.
As a percussionist in Balkanatics he draws from his origins of growing up in Thrace, heavily influenced by the shared musical tradition between Greek, Turkish and Bulgarian music.percussion
The BALKANATICS go out in various combinations
depending on the situation and budget
Septet + (sax, 2 trumpets, accordion, tuba, darbuka & davul or even bigger)
Sextet (sax, trumpet, accordion, tuba, darbuka & davul)
Quintet (sax, trumpet, accordion, tuba, darbuka/davul)
Quartet (sax, tuba, accordion, darbuka/davul)
Trio (sax, accordion, darbuka)
Duo (sax, accordion)